THE BACKGROUND NOISE PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON THE MUSIC THAT ARTISTS LISTEN TO WHEN THEY WORK, WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES THEM, OR JUST MUSIC THEY LIKE. THIS WEEK, IN EPISODE 84, THE FOCUS IS ON ARTIST MARK JENKINS

Mark Jenkins' sculptures are a sight to behold. Witnessing them in all their glory in person is absolutely fascinating. Using a combination of saran wrap and tape, he makes life-size replicas of humans and various other objects that seem real until you're right up close.

His work has been perceived to be SO realistic, that people often call the police, concerned that someone is actually in one of the predicaments that Mark has staged his sculpture. Somehow, I think Mark relishes this, as part of the reason he places his work in the street is to see how people interact with it.

Check out Mark's mix below, download it directly here, or subscribe to the Background Noise podcast on iTunes. Be sure to like Background Noise on Facebook for updates on future episodes. You can browse ALL the Background Noise episodes here.

THE BACKGROUND NOISE PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON THE MUSIC THAT ARTISTS LISTEN TO WHEN THEY WORK, WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES THEM, OR JUST MUSIC THEY LIKE. THIS WEEK, IN EPISODE 83, the focus is on darcy yates

Bio:Colorful swirls and bold imagery balances the still images of Darcy’s imagination. Her artwork embraces color and shape through vintage photography and playful characters. Darcy grew up in Los Angeles in the middle of the LA national forest. She finds herself growing with the bustling streets of her derelict town. Photographs are a dominate feature in most of her artwork because she love the raw emotion it conveys. Darcy’s work is gritty, colorful and embodies the essence of soul and imagination. Her favorite tool is The Spirograph because of childish innocence it suggests. Her use of different media balances the stories that coincide with each piece. Her infatuation with unconventional interaction is explored through every piece she creates.

What was your first concert?Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons when they had their reunion tour!

Last concert/show?Kimbra at Space Jam in Silverlake

First album you bought?Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was the first CD I ever bought on my own. It was right when CD’s became the new thing, I honestly hated them when they first came out. I grew up on my families record player and cassette tapes, CD’s were super strange to me. When i saved enough money to purchase this “new” technology I decided to pick my favorite Beatles album. Sgt. Peppers still holds a special place in my heart.

Last album you bought?“Jesus Use Me” by Dorris and Sammy Ogg from my local thrift shop. The image on the album cover was way too special not to pass up. I actually used it as my main image for my show “ Day Destroy’s the Night”. Oh man, the music is horrible and the album is awful. The meaning, very questionable. But the name and face of the album is pure gold. I tried to listen to the entire album but just couldn’t. If there was a music burning pile this one would defiantly be the first to burn. Music can be inspirational and meaningful even if its horrible.

Was there one record that made a significant impression on you?I grew up constantly listening to music/musicals and many albums have changed my outlook on life… But the one that truly molded me was “The White Album” from The Beatles. I use to listen to this two part record over and over again because it made me feel alive. I have never felt so inspired and scared listening to these songs. I still can’t listen to Revolution no. 9 without tearing up ( it still scares the shit out of me!) Fear is a beautiful emotion that truly effects the way I create. This record gave me these emotions to explore my visions as an artist. Its an epic record that is the sound track to my life.

Who is your musical hero?This is way too hard to pick. So many amazing musicians, this like having a mother pick their favorite child! So… I’ll pick Janis Joplin… She opened so many door for musicians and will always be the soul/blues/ gospel queen. She is the voice to my screaming soul.

How important is music to your creative process?Before I start a piece I always think “ How do I feel, whats my mood, whats wrong, whats right? ”. Music deeply inspires me and through my mood I pick songs that reflect my current state, it keeps me centered throughout my entire process and inspires most of my pieces.

Check out Darcy's mix below, download it directly here, or subscribe to the Background Noise podcast on iTunes. Be sure to like Background Noise on Facebook for updates on future episodes. You can browse ALL the Background Noise episodes here. Check out Darcy's website for more of her work.

THE BACKGROUND NOISE PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON THE MUSIC THAT ARTISTS LISTEN TO WHEN THEY WORK, WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES THEM, OR JUST MUSIC THEY LIKE. THIS WEEK, IN EPISODE 82, THE FOCUS IS ON BLEEP

Bleep loves both food and pop culture. He loves them so much that they get absorbed right into his art. Literally. Not only has he painted sidewalks with mustard, but he's led some pretty interesting experiments in the shelf-life of McDonald's burgers. Recently, he even had a show at Stone Malone Gallery in Los Angeles, fittingly titled "Eat."

What was your first concert?Imma say local bands cuz the major label acts were too embarrassing to name.

Last concert/show?Squarepusher at the Regent Theatre

First album you bought?Usher "My Way" the single with 3 different versions on it

Last album you bought?No idea

Was there one record that made a significant impression on you?Squarepusher's Ultravisitor completely destroyed the way in which i thought about orchestrated sound, it will probably be the greatest musical moment of my life.

Who is your musical hero?Les Claypool

How important is music to your creative process?Being a classically trained musician, I would say music is all encompassing. I hate to parrot great quotes by people I cant remember but "music is how you decorate time, art is how you decorate space."

Check out Bleep's mix below, download it directly here, or subscribe to the Background Noise podcast on iTunes. Be sure to like Background Noise on Facebook for updates on future episodes. You can browse ALL the Background Noise episodes here. Check out Bleep's Instagram here.

Unfortunately, with only 36 hours left, the folks running this awesome Indiegogo campaign are still just under $32,000 short of their goal. With your help though, they may get closer! Watch the trailer above to get motivated to help Bushwick tell the story of his fascinating life.

I remember back in the early 00s, when a young man named Pictureplane was an active contributor on the old Anticon and Restiform Bodies message boards. Constantly hustling, promoting his art and music to anyone who will listen. More and more over the years, his name would come up. He'd open for us on tour, let us crash at his old warehouse (he used to live at the awesome DIY spot Rhinoceropolis in Denver....which every band and their mom has most likely played and/or crashed at). He's since become a great friend and tourmate to HEALTH, and recently came full circle and has finally released his own LP via Anticon this past Friday.

THE BACKGROUND NOISE PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON THE MUSIC THAT ARTISTS LISTEN TO WHEN THEY WORK, WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES THEM, OR JUST MUSIC THEY LIKE. THIS WEEK, IN EPISODE 81, THE FOCUS IS ON DEE DEE

No one really knows a whole lot about mysterious street artist Dee Dee. There is literally no revealing information on the internet about her. Despite this, Dee Dee has quickly amassed quite a cult following over the past couple of years. Her colorful, collage edits often feature beautiful, sultry women smiling, screaming or staring right through you. It's all quite mesmerizing, to say the least.

She just hosted a small, but impressive pop-up show called "The Day Is My Enemy" in New York City with the fine folks at Montreal's Station 16 Gallery. Being one of the many "cult followers" of her work myself, I nearly hopped on a plane to make the opening. From what I've heard from friends, it was quite the success.

Dee Dee doesn't really say much. As you can see, the answers to my music questions are not exactly, well....verbose. She prefers to let the music do the talking, as you can witness yourself with the excellent gothy/synth mix she compiled for this.

Oh, and for a limited time, she's got some artwork available for purchase direct through Station 16. I'd say get them now, while you can still afford them. She's rising fast.

Check out Dee Dee's mix below, download it directly here, or subscribe to the Background Noise podcast oniTunes. Be sure to like Background Noise on Facebook for updates on future episodes. You can browse ALL the Background Noise episodes here. Check out Dee Dee's Instagram here.

THE BACKGROUND NOISE PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON THE MUSIC THAT ARTISTS LISTEN TO WHEN THEY WORK, WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES THEM, OR JUST MUSIC THEY LIKE. THIS WEEK, IN EPISODE 80, THE FOCUS IS ON MR. TOLL

I've seen Brooklyn artist MRtoll's work in various states of decay. Sometimes, his colorful clay creations are new, freshly epoxied onto carefully chosen walls. Other times, you only see what's left after someone tries to remove it to take home for their home. I doubt anyone has gotten one of these pieces off a wall in one piece, which is a testament to why these beautiful pieces of art should stay where they belong.

Raised in Australia, Jamie Toll is no stranger to straying from the pack. As so many artists are relying on paint and stencils, MRtoll is sculpting for the streets. When other artists are blowing up their own Instagram feed with one dimensional photos of their work, he's taking people to Arizona via a virtual reality installation to view his sculptures in a remote desert. (You can download that for free right here).

His work can be found in many places outside of Brooklyn, including Colombia, Los Angeles, Miami, Arizona, Asia, Australia and Malaysia, to name a few. He is also one of the handful of artists to have participated both the East AND West Coast "Surplus Candy" art shows that Hanksy has put on.

What was your first concert?Arrested Development in Canberra , Australia

Last concert/show?FKA Twigs at art Basel Miami 2014

First album you bought?Supertramp

Last album you bought?Bomba Estéreo

Was there one record that made a significant impression on you?Radiohead - OK Computer

Who is your musical hero?Thom Yorke

How important is music to your creative process?Music is very important to my artistic process. I use music to set the pace of my sculpting and the mood and feel for the work. If I'm working to a deadline I may put music on that has up-tempo pace to make me work faster.

THE BACKGROUND NOISE PODCAST SERIES FOCUSES ON THE MUSIC THAT ARTISTS LISTEN TO WHEN THEY WORK, WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES THEM, OR JUST MUSIC THEY LIKE. THIS WEEK, IN EPISODE 79, THE FOCUS IS ON ARTIST MATT GEER

BIO:Matt Geer has been a Chicago artist for over a decade. A self described “artopuss” with tentacles coiling many different styles,utilizing different mediums.

His work is often broken up into separate series of work, allowing himself to explore each obsession to its end.

Current series of his work are ink n brush,fine line works with a liner brush to produce series like his NECROCOLOR and MEN HAVE NEEDS. neo-minimal portraits such as in the series "PRESSURIZED'' and “PREDATORY,” the found object works of the "NEVER LOST” series, and neo-expressionistic works of his recent series “CRIMESPREE,”as well as side works in any medium imaginable.

He also writes short fiction and beat poetry, and makes clothes under the label BLACK SQUARE.

Coming a long way since his early days in a high school tagging crew, his passion for art has only intensified.

Man of melancholy and sadness, his work reflects the pain society causes, and his personal love of all things dark.

Matt Geer is a modern beatnik, living a minimal life in utter poverty that only seems to fuel his creative drive.

Thank you, your chum the friendly ghost, Matt Geer.

First album you bought?First album I bought, I think it was Ice Cube - “AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted.” Gangster rap was the most rebellious music I was exposed to in grade school, plus, I had no white friends, so we listened to a lot of rap and house.

Last album you bought?Last album I bought was Savages out of England. Think Wire mixed with Siouxsie & the Banshees.

First concert?Hmmm, first concert..Circle Jerks at the Vic Theater when I was 13. A fat skinhead punched me in the stomach, I remember it well.

Last concert?Last concert I went to was at the Uptown Pub in Westmont to see my friend Robot Hilarious. He does like punk, folk rap...better then it sounds.

Was there one album that made a significant impression on you?The album that had the biggest impact on me...the Cure - Disintegration. Got me though the worst time in my life.

Who is your musical hero?My musical hero is, and will always be Lux Interior of the Cramps...he taught me in my youth that I was okay being me, loving horror flix, high heels and sexy tight clothes and pussy was okay.

How important is music to your creative process?Music is very important to my creative process, and like my work, my taste in music varies from each end of the spectrum. I even like dub step.

Check out Matt's mix below, download it directly here, or subscribe to the Background Noise podcast on iTunes. Be sure to like Background Noise on Facebook for updates on future episodes. You can browse ALL the Background Noise episodes here. Check out Matt Geer's website here.